All About Foot Fissures

Your skin needs moisture in order to stay healthy and operate efficiently, but it can be hard to make sure you are getting enough moisture on your feet. At the same time, too much moisture can lead to problems. Fissures are cracks on your skin, typically found on the heels, which can be caused by both too much and too little moisture. Finding the perfect balance of moisture and dryness is important for healing and preventing fissures.

Without treatment, hard, dry, and flaky skin can lead to severe pain and even bleeding. Factors that increase your risk for developing fissures include obesity, going barefoot, wearing open shoes, and living in dry climates.

Treatment

There are many ointments that you can use at home to help heal fissures. Your doctor will be able to suggest or prescribe the ones that will work best for you. In some cases, your doctor might need to remove rough patches and then bandage the area. You should continue to dry your feet carefully and apply moisturizer to help speed along the healing process, unless your doctor has other instructions.

Prevention

• You are more at risk of developing fissures on your feet if you frequently go barefoot, so try to wear comfortable shoes as often as possible.
• After washing your feet, be sure to always dry them carefully and thoroughly.
• Apply moisturizer to your feet after every wash. For extra moisture, you can apply lotion and then cotton socks at to wear at night while you sleep.
• Wear cotton socks instead of other materials in order to keep your feet clean and dry with good air flow.
• Pumice stones can help to decrease the dry and thick layer of skin on your feet, but ask your doctor before using one. It is possible to overuse pumice stones.
• Inspect your feet regularly if you usually suffer from cracks and fissures, because they can get infected. This is especially important for those with diabetes.